Car-roof.



F. A. LESTER.

CAR ROOF.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30. l9l4.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

s E s s E N n w go/w FREDERICK A. LESTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO CHICAGO STANDARD EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF MAINE.

can-noon.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dial. 13, 1917.

Application filed. July so, 1914. Serial No. 854,029.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. LESTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Roofs, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the drawingsforming a part hereof.

My invention relates generally to roots, and has reference moreparticularly to the provision of an improved outside roof peculiarlyadapted for use in connection with railway freight cars; and has for oneof its main objects to produce a water-tight roofing which may bereadily applied to the car and at minimum cost;

Another object is to so conform and arrange the members composing theroof that the roofing board strips are free to expand and contractwithin the headed battens, and to so utilize the expansion of the roofas to eflect a tightening of the head of the batten on the boards at atime when it is most desirable and necessaryto prevent leakage past thejoint. A still further object is to provide a metallic headed battenhaving separated flanges interposed between adjacent boards and adaptedto be brought together or, collapsed by the expansion or swelling of theboards in order to additionally tighten the joint between the boards andthe head of the batten.

These, together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear, orare incident to my invention, I attain by means of a con structionillustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a car showing theapplication of .my invention thereto.

Fig. 2 is a section taken through the roof on the line IIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar viewwhen the boards have expanded against thebattens.

Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of the batten, illustrating themanner of its fastening to one of the boards.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of a fragmentary portion of thebatten.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 6 indicates the carlinesextending transversely across the roof between the car sidings 7, theformer carrying the purlins or nailing strips 8 to which the outer roofcovering,

embodying my invention, is adapted to be attached. This coveringcomprises the roofing boards or strips 9 set out at intervals to receivetherebetween the metallic battens 10 which unite the side edges of theboards and comprise the joining members of the group. Each strip may beformed with the side channels 9 and is secured to the purlins preferablyat or near one marginal sideedgc thereof by fastening elements 11, so asto leave the opposing side edge of th strip free to expand or contractrelatively of the secured edge Each of the battens 10 may be formed froma thin metal. blank to embody a hollow head having inturned and normallyseparated portions 10 and 10", from which latter depend the spacedflanges 12 and 12"; the portions 10 and 10 bearing laterally upon thesecured and freeside edges respectively of adjacent strips and theflanges being interposed in their spaced relation between them. Theseflanges are preferably divergent, as in the manner shown, to provide ator near their lower terminals a means for normally gaging the properdistance between the strips and are fastened at extended intervals tothe secured edge of the strip by nails 13 which may pass through both ofthe flanges, as indicated in Fig. 4:.

Under ordinary weather conditions the normal relation of members at thejoint is illustrated in Fig. 2, the free edge of the strip being capableof moving under the portion 10 to collapse the flanges, as in Fig.

3, when the strip swells and expands during wet weather. As the flangescollapse the side margins 12 of the head are drawn inwardly anddownwardly to pinch the adjacent edges of both strips at or near thechannels 9*, thus tightly sealing the joint at a time when a tight jointis absolutely neces sary to prevent leakage into the car.

By having the flanges divergent, the full force of the tightening orpinching effect of the head on the free edge of the strip is notimmediately felt, but is at first gradual so as not to materially hinderthe full movement of ,the edge to, or near, the position taken up inFig. 3. WVhen in this position, those portions of the head not drawn into more tightly engage with the strips are slightly humped or curved asindicated at 10*, which is due to the collapsed flanges 12 and 12 actingto inwardlycontract the lower portions 10 and 10" against the resistanceoffered by the top portion of the head. Inpractice, it is also foundthat the upper portions of the flanges penetrate slightly into thehollow of the head, and in this way tend to add to the pinching effectof the side portions 12.

It will be obvious from the above description that while expansion. ofthe strips is readily permitted, yet at the same time an absolutelytight joint is provided when most needed. Furthermore, as the stripcontracts the pressure on its free edge correspondingly lessens so as topermit its return to normal position. From the foregoing, the essentialfeatures and elements of the construction, together with its simplicityand other advantages thereof will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art.

I do not intend to restrict'myself to the precise details ofconstruction as shown, for it is deemed obvious that modificationsthereof may be made without de nirting in any way from the spirit andscope of the invention as pointed out in the appended. claims.

Having thus described and illustrated its use, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following 1. A metallic roofbatten formed of relatively thin flexible metal and comprising a roofstrip engaging head provided with dependent flared flanges adapted tolie between Uopies or this patent may be obtained for adjacent roofstrips, said portions serving when sprung toward each other by theexpansion of the roof to tighten the engagement of the head with theroof strips.

2. A metallic roof batten formed of relatively thin flexible metal andcomprising a hollow roof strip engaginghead provided with dependentflared spaced flanges adapted to lie between adjacent roof strips, saidportions serving when sprung toward each other by the expansion of theroof to tighten the engagement ofthe head with the roof strips.

3. In a car roof, the combination of spaced roofing strips, a metallicbatten for uniting the side edges of said strips and secured to one ofthe strips, said batten formed of relatively thin flexible metal andcomprising a hollow strip engaging head having dependent spaced flangesadapted to lie between adjacent roof strips, said flanges constructedand arranged when sprung toward each other by the expansion of the rootto tighten the engagement of the head with the roof strips,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence ofthe two witnesses. FREDERICK A. LESTER.

W'itnesses:

WV. HERBERT FOWKES,

FRANK JAGER.

subscribing five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofE'a'tents, Washington. D. G.

